Reflections

Now in most families, the person delivering that news would have led with the bus-smashed-into-the-family-car headline. But not in my household, and certainly not at the start of the baseball season. Baseball is always the lead story.

My Raggedy Andy doll represented and honored my childhood...He was there when I was punished, and cared when my own small heart would break; he believed in my dreams, and understood when he was left behind. My new Native American spirit doll has much the same qualities – lovingly made, a celebration of imperfection, a mix of purpose and joy.

A secret house, a retreat, a place to hide, where the scent of the lilacs surrounded me, captured me, entranced me. There I would host parties for my dolls and build creations from twigs, stones and scraps of this and that.

During my teen years and young adulthood, the thrill of the amusement park never left me. Fortunately, my girlfriend who would later become my wife also enjoyed this obsession. After we were married and before our son was born, we would travel at least twice a year to Disneyland and feel ourselves transformed back to our childhood when it was all so new.

My thoughts suddenly drifted back to over 50 years ago…and my first kiss. Prior to the big event, I had read and memorized every article about kissing I could find in every teen magazine on the market. Back then, the hot topic in those magazines was whether or not a girl should allow a boy to kiss her on the first date.

I am in awe of those that marry and stay together until they depart this earth. They are held together like the old glue that was used on those cards. They forge memories and their lives become intertwined into one.

People over 50 are the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs in the United States. The Small Business Administration research shows that 2% of millennials are self-employed versus 8.3% for boomers. So boomers are actually driving the entrepreneurial boom.

When I had lost all of my data, photos, and memories when my computers crashed before, it was like starting over and being forced to let go of the past and the details I deemed so important. Gone were the selfies, the precious links, the bookmarks, and the videos, not to mention a lot of my work. Oh, how attached we become.